Terminal panel



May 30, 1950 J. P. SMITH, JR

TERMINAL PANEL Filed March 12, 1948 FIG. 3

FIG.2

JOHN P. SMITH JR.

2 IN VEN TOR. BY

Patented May 30, 1950 TERMINAL PANEL John P. Smith, Jr., Verona, N. J., assignor to The- Daven Company, Newark, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 12, 1948', Serial No. 14,572

v2 Claims. (01. 173-424) This invention relates to terminal panels for use in various types or electrical apparatus and, particularly apparatus employed in electrical communication circuits such as attenuators, potentiometers, and the like.

An objector. the. present invention is to provide a terminal panel of molded construction which is simple in construction, relatively inexpensive, and which is so constructed and arranged that it may be quickly and easily adapted for use with a. minimum number of terminals or to use with an increased or doubled number of terminals, as desired. This permits manufacturing the terminal panels in large quantities for stock with the resultant reduction in cost and also permits manufacture of one. type, size and kind of terminal panel which may, with very little effort, be altered to provide any desired number of individual terminals within the maximum range of the panel.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a terminal panel as specified, which is constructed so that itmay be quickly and easily connected, in proper position, to the housing or container of the apparatus with which it is employed.

With these and other objects in view, as may appear from the accompanying specification, the invention consists of various features of construction and combination of parts, which will be first described in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing a terminal panel of a preferred form embodying the invention, and the features forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the panel.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the terminal panel.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan of the improved terminal panel.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the terminal panel.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the terminal or contact element of the panel.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved terminal panel comprises a body I which is molded of any suitable insulating material such as thermo-setting phenolic plastic. When the body I is molded the terminal pieces or elements 2, which are U-shaped in cross section, are embedded in the body I with the cross bars 3 of each terminal element 2 extending across the body while the terminal arms or side parts 4 project laterally from the cross bar 3 2 and project out'of. the body I. The terminal bars or arms l are notched, as shown at. 5, to facilitate. the connection of electrical, conducting wires thereto, and they have holes 6 drilled. there in through which other wires extend. for soldering to the terminal arms: 4.. During the molding, the body I, isprovided with a, plurality of openings 1 extending therei-nto from its outer face a sufli'cient depth so that they terminate at the lower face of the cross bars 3 of the. various terminal elements 2,. as clearly shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. Any desired number of these openings I are drilled, through the cross bars 2 and completely through the body I, as shown at 8, so as to permit the wire which is to. be connected to. the terminal bar 4 through the opening 6. to extend through the body I for connection, to the terminal bar 4. The body I also has recesses 9 formed therein, and longi tudinally spaced along the bottom or inner side of the body I: so. that they will open to the inner faces of the cross bars. 3 of the terminal ele+ ments 2. In. using the terminal. panel, irthree connections are desired, then three of the openings I at one side of the center of the panel are drilled through the body to permit connection of electrical wires to the terminal arms 4 of three of the terminal elements 2. In the drawings, a terminal plate is shown as having three of the U-shaped terminal elements connected to the body I. With the structure shown, when four connections are desired, one of the openings I, say for instance the opening 1 (see Figure 2) is drilled completely through the cross bar 3 and the body I of the terminal element structure at one end of the body of the panel and at the same time the cross bar 3 of this terminal element is broken between its ends by drilling through the opening 9 which opens to the cross bar 3 of the respective element. By breaking or cutting all of the cross bars 3 of all of the elements 2 the maximum number of independent terminals are provided and, of course, the openings I are all drilled completely through the cross bars and the body to provide this maximum number of independent terminals. While only 3 U-shaped terminal elements are shown embedded in the body I in the drawings, it is to be understood, of course, that any number or such U-shaped terminals together with corresponding openings 1 and 9 may be provided without departing from the spirit of the invention and to permit various combinations of numbers of independent terminals limited only by the number of terminal arms 4 provided in the panel.

The body I of the panel has a plurality of laterally and longitudinally spaced lugs l formed along its side edges and the lugs I0 nearest the outer face of the body are disposed staggeredly with respect to the lugs which are nearest the back or inner face of the body I, as is clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings. These spaced lugs provide slots I I extending 1ongitudinally along the side edges of the body to permit sliding engagement between the body I and the housing of an attenuator, potentiometer, or like structure in the manner as disclosed in Patent No. 2,439,160, issued April 6, 1948.

If it is so desired or necessary, the cross bars 3 of the terminal elements 2 may be reduced in width intermediate their ends, as shown at l2 in Figure 6 of the drawings, forthe purpose of injecting from its side edges, the lugs on each edge being longitudinally spaced and arranged staggeredly and spaced laterally to form slots alternately open to the front and back faces of the body.

2. In a terminal panel, a body of molded insulating material, a plurality of substantially U- shaped terminal elements carried by said body and having their cross bars embedded in the body, said body provided with a plurality of openings extending thereinto from the outer face of suring complete breakage of the cross bars when drilled through the openings 9.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction or arings extending thereinto from the outer face of the body to the outermost surface of the cross bars of the terminal elements, certain of said openings being drilled through the cross bar and through the body and the others of said openin'gs serving as guides for the drilling of holes through the cross bars and body, said body having plurality of openings extending thereinto from its back face and terminating at the trans- I verse centers of the cross bars to permit breaking of the cross bars to disconnect the terminals formed by the arms of the substantially U-shap'e'd terminal elements, said body having lugs pro-' the body to the outermost surface of the cross bars of the terminal elements, certain of said openings being drilled through the cross bar and. through the body and the others of said openings serving as guidesfor the drilling of holes through the cross bars and body, said body having a plurality of openings extending thereinto from its back face and terminating at the transverse centers of the cross bars to permit breaking of the cross bars to disconnect the terminals formed by the arms of the substantially U-shaped terminal elements, said cross bars being reduced in width at their transverse centers.

JOHN P. SMITH, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

. UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 4, 1946 

